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12-year-old Kyle Driebeek Inspires the Crowd at Nikola Tesla Conference

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Twelve-year-old Kyle Driebeek first learned about Nikola Tesla when he was only 8 years old. Four years later he is one of the star attractions at the Nikola Tesla Memorial Conference held in New York City January 5-7, 2013. [Day 1 and Day 2] The conference was held on the 70th anniversary of Tesla’s death in the very place that he lived the last 10 years of his life – the New Yorker Hotel. Many luminaries in the field were in attendance including Tesla Science Foundation President Nikola Lonchar, Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe President Jane Alcorn, The Oatmeal’s Matthew Inman, and William H. Terbo, the grand-nephew of Nikola Tesla. But Kyle was the real star.

Kyle Driebeek

Amazingly poised and well-spoken for someone so young, Kyle walked up to the microphone and quickly awed the roomful of Nikola Tesla experts. He related how he first came to hear about Tesla on a History Channel program called Modern Marvels. That same year his 3rd Grade class gave him an assignment to study a famous person. Kyle chose Tesla. For his research Kyle and his family came to the New Yorker, stayed in the very room that was Tesla’s, and toured the property with engineer Joe Kinney. He also went out to Long Island and peered at Wardenclyffe through the fence. It would be the first of many visits to the New Yorker and to Wardenclyffe.

His research continued for a 5th Grade class project. In 2011 Kyle attended the Long Island Tesla Conference and got to stand on the octagonal base of the Wardenclyffe tower. He learned to play the Theremin, the electronic instrument played without physical contact. He smiled as the contributions rolled in during Matthew Inman’s crowd-funding efforts in 2012, an effort that raised nearly $1.4 million and has allowed Jane Alcorn’s Tesla Science Center to purchase the Wardenclyffe property to be made into a museum and educational center. And now here he was an invited speaker at the Tesla Memorial Conference. [You can watch Kyle’s presentation beginning at about minute 37:00 in this video.]

Kyle Driebeek was inspired by Nikola Tesla. The attendees at the conference were inspired by Kyle Driebeek. Like Kyle, we all feel that the world needs to know more about Nikola Tesla’s contributions to science. Kyle vows to help spread the word. And after his inspiring presentation, so will we all.

More on Nikola Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity.

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Frank Smith to Speak to the Lincoln Group of DC on the Emancipation Proclamation

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Frank Smith_smallDr. Frank Smith, Jr. will be the speaker at the Abraham Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia‘s monthly dinner event. In keeping with the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s issue of the Emancipation Proclamation, Smith will discuss “The Emancipation Proclamation: Saving the Union and Paving the Way to Freedom and Democracy.”

Dr. Smith attended Morehouse College in the early 1960s before becoming an activist in the civil rights movement and playing a leadership role in organizing protests and marches for civil rights in Mississippi during “Freedom Summer” (1964). He later moved to Washington DC, where he was active in the community before being elected to the DC Board of Education and then the DC City Council where he served for 16 years.

One of his prize achievements was as Chairman of the Board and CEO of the organization that established the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum. The African-American Civil War Memorial – The Spirit of Freedom – stands at the intersection of 10th and U Street (corner of Vermont Avenue) in Washington, DC.

African American Civil War Memorial

In 2011 Dr. Smith was interviewed on the Black Eagle radio program by host Joe Madison. The video below shows Smith discussing the claim that African-American slaves chose to fight for the Confederacy during the Civil War.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YunYGr7VYnA&hl=en_US&version=3]

I’ll post more on Dr. Smith’s presentation after the event.

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Day 2 Tesla Memorial Conference – Tesla’s Technical Side

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In my last post I introduced the first day of the Tesla Memorial Conference held January 5-7, 2013 in the New Yorker Hotel. While Day 1 focused primarily on various ongoing projects (e.g., acquisition of Wardenclyffe) and artistic endeavors (e.g., my book and other inspirations), Day 2 focused on Tesla’s technical contributions.

Starting us off was Manoj Shah, the 2012 recipient of the IEEE Nikola Tesla Award, which is given annually to “an individual or team that has made an outstanding contribution to the generation or utilization of electric power.” Dr. Shah is an electrical engineer at GE Global Research. In his presentation he highlighted some of the electrical machines produced by GE and how Tesla’s work influenced their designs.

Manoj Shah

Other speakers included Thomas Valone of Integrity Research Institute discussing electrotherapeutic devices (a little zap a day will do ya), Nicholas Simos of Brookhaven Labs discussing wireless energy transmission, and my personal favorite, Marko Popovic of Worcester Polytechnic Institute discussing Tesla and Robotics. Dr. Popovic reminded us that it was none other than Nikola Tesla who developed what can be considered the first robot, a remote controlled boat he called a telautomaton that he first publicly demonstrated in Madison Square Garden in 1898.

Tesla robot remote controlled boat

Popovic also mentioned another inventor, John Hays Hammond, Jr., who collaborated with Tesla for a while and eventually made a larger remote controlled robotic boat. I mention Hammond briefly here because of a connection I have with him, which I’ll talk about in a later post. For now, here is the slide in which Popovic showed Hammond and his boat.

John Hays Hammond Jr.

Tesla expert and author Marc Seifer then discussed the significance of the later years of the Wardenclyffe, when Tesla had run out of funding and was desperately trying to interest new investors. Unfortunately he was unsuccessful and the Wardenclyffe tower was torn down for scrap to pay off some of Tesla’s debts.

DSC09395

The morning ended with math. Musical math. David Pokrajac explained the technical basis behind a unique musical instrument called the Theremin, which is the world’s first electronic device and the only wireless instrument. The performer, in this case Mano Divina, “captures electricity in mid-air and bends it with his hands to sing Opera,” all without touching the instrument at all.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fthKn4F4sdc&hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0]

The day continued with demonstrations of Tesla coils, wireless energy transmissions, gyroscopes, a few sparks and much more, all of which can be seen on the video recordings kindly provided by Kevin Wood Media. After closing remarks many attended a memorial service for Nikola Tesla and celebrated the Serbian Orthodox Christmas at St. Sava, a nearby Serbian Orthodox Cathedral. Meanwhile, I hopped a train back to DC (work beckons). Before I left I took this photo of the plaque honoring Nikola Tesla on the side of the New Yorker Hotel, where he lived the last ten years of his life.

Tesla plaque New Yorker Hotel

Many thanks to the Tesla Science Foundation, especially to Nikola Lonchar and Marina Schwabic, for organizing a wonderful conference. I was proud to have contributed my small part and enjoyed the conference and attendees immensely.

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Tesla Memorial Conference 2013 – A Tribute to Nikola Tesla

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I had the distinct pleasure of spending this past weekend in the company of many of the most influential experts and enthusiasts of the great Serbian-American inventor, Nikola Tesla. Held in the New Yorker Hotel on the 70th anniversary of Tesla’s death, the conference consisted of two full days of presentations, preceded by a gala Spirit Awards Benefit Reception. By all measures the conference was a great success.

Tesla Science Foundation, under the leadership of President Nikola Lonchar, Executive Director Marina Schwabic, and Chairman David Vujic, sponsored the event, along with support by the New Yorker Hotel, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Westinghouse, and the General Consulate of Serbia. Those who know about Nikola Tesla will have heard that he lived the last ten years of his life in Room 3327 of the New Yorker. There is a plaque on his door.

Tesla room plaque New Yorker Hotel

For this event I was lucky enough to have the room immediately next to the Tesla room. From 3326 I was able to see and hear a stream of people stopping by to take photos by Tesla’s door. I also learned that Tesla had a two room suite – he used Room 3328 as a study.

The first day of the Conference was filled with a wide variety of presentations based on the theme “Why Tesla Matters.” New Yorker Hotel engineer Joe Kinney opened with a history of Tesla and the hotel. He was followed by one of the most fascinating and inspiring talks of the day, by 12-year old Kyle Driebeek (I’ll have more on Kyle in a future piece). Other highlights of the first morning were presentations by Tesla expert and author Marc Seifer and his screenwriting partner Tim Eaton, updates on a movie in development by award-winning filmmaker Joe Sikorski, Tesla as artistic inspiration by Miriam Seidel, Terry O’Reilly and Melissa Dunphy, and Tesla in film by Milan Knezevic.

I also made a presentation on my forthcoming book, Tesla: Wizard of Electricity. The recording of my presentation can be viewed on this website (skip to about the 10:50 mark to see me literally trip up the stage steps).

The biggest highlights of the day were the presentations by Jane Alcorn, President of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, and Matt Inman, creator of The Oatmeal. Jane provided an update on the progress in purchasing Tesla’s last laboratory, the Wardenclyffe property in Shoreham, Long Island. The contract is nearing completion and the Science Center is hard at work drawing up plans for the renovation and restoration of the property. Photos of the facility show that age and vandalism have taken a toll so this will be a long-term project, likely achieved in a series of steps. Following her presentation Jane introduced The Oatmeal, aka Matt Inman. Matt had used the reach of his wonderful comic site and the power of crowdfunding to help raise nearly $1.4 million within 45 days, all of which is being used to fund the purchase of Wardenclyffe. In three days of applause for the speakers, Matt Inman is the only person to receive a full standing ovation from the crowd. His efforts were clearly very much appreciated.

Matthew Inman The Oatmeal

After Inman was a very special surprise guest that wasn’t on the agenda. While Nikola Tesla never married, and in fact lived a celibate life, his sister had a son, Tesla’s nephew. That son married and had a son, Tesla’s grand-nephew. And Mr. William H. Terbo, Nikola Tesla’s grand-nephew, graced the conference with his ebullient presence.

William H. Terbo, Tesla's Grand-Nephew

Terbo is Executive Secretary of the Tesla Memorial Society and enjoys every chance to help continue his grand-uncles name and heritage. He talked of the many dedications of statues and plaques, including the one on the outside of the New Yorker Hotel. He even related the story of meeting Tesla in 1940, when Mr. Terbo was 10 years old. I had the pleasure of a delightful conversation with Mr. Terbo, who promised to read my book as soon as it was available.

Rounding out the first day were short presentations by other writers and visual art creators, updates on the UNESCO activities honoring Tesla, the IEEE’s Tesla Award, a heartfelt homage to the contributions of Serbs in America, and the activities of the Tesla Memorial Society of New York.

Phew. As I look back, this was a packed program – and it was only the first day of presentations! I’ll have more on the second day in a follow up article, including live Tesla coils on stage.

More on Tesla: Wizard of Electricity.

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5 Things You Didn’t Know About Nikola Tesla

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Nikola TeslaNikola Tesla is one of the most prolific inventors of all time, and yet many have never heard of him. Born in the little village of Smiljan in what is now Croatia, Tesla’s family was actually Serbian. From a young age Tesla liked to experiment, even to the point of gluing June bugs to sticks to create a self-propelled windmill. He later went on to work for Thomas Edison, then became one of Edison’s biggest rivals in the “war of the currents.” Tesla was the one that made it possible to put alternating current, AC, into widespread use, much to the dismay of Edison who had been pushing direct, DC, current.

Unfortunately, Telsa’s name is often ignored in the history books. Here are five things that you probably didn’t know about Nikola Tesla.

1) Tesla was a showman, but also a recluse: Yes, that does appear to be a paradox, but it’s true. Tesla would often hide himself in his lab with the shades closed to keep the light out. Sleeping only a few hours a day he would work from late morning one day well into the wee hours of the morning the next day. And yet at other times he would be a much sought after socialite, partying with the likes of writer Mark Twain and poet Robert Underwood Johnson and his beautiful wife Katharine. When Tesla gave presentations to the scientific community he would enthrall the audience with magical shows of light and energy. Then he could disappear from the public eye for months on end, digging himself into his work and, later, feeding the pigeons in his lonely hotel suite.

2) Tesla inspired Google’s Larry Page to become an inventor: When Larry Page was 12 years old his father gave him a copy of Nikola Tesla’s autobiography, My Inventions. Page was impressed with all of the innovations that sprung from Tesla’s mind. And yet, Page decided later that it was better to be more like Thomas Edison. Whereas Tesla focused on fundamental research, Edison knew how to develop a practical way to market the discoveries and make money. Edison died rich, Tesla died in poverty. Meanwhile, Larry Page has invested in Tesla Motors, the electric car company named after you know who.

3) Nikola Tesla was a proponent of renewable energy: Tesla lived from 1856 to 1943, and yet more than 100 years ago he said “long before this consummation, coal and oil must cease to be important factors in the sustenance of human life on this planet.” He advocated for the development of energy from the sun, from windmills, and from hydroelectric power. His inventions allowed the first major production and long-distance distribution of alternating current hydroelectricity on a large scale – from Niagara Falls. And he sought ways to tap the energy of nature, believing that the best way “to obtain power would be to avail ourselves of the sun’s rays.”

4) Tesla was from Venus: Okay, this one isn’t actually true, at least to most people. But there are some who believe that Tesla was born on Venus and sent here to prepare mankind for the eventual arrival of Venusian culture. Whether he was Venusian or not doesn’t change the fact that Tesla believed that he had received signals from outer space while he was experimenting with radio technology in Colorado Springs. In any case, Tesla did discover radio before Marconi made millions of dollars (and received a Nobel Prize) after having “borrowed” ideas from Tesla. The question wasn’t settled until many decades later, mere months after Tesla had passed away in his sleep at the New Yorker Hotel on January 7, 1943. [I was at the New Yorker Hotel on January 6 and 7, 2013 – 70 years to the day after Tesla died. I attended the Tesla Memorial Conference.] Oh, and his body wasn’t returned to Venus. Tesla’s ashes are held in a Tesla coil-shaped sphere at the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade, Serbia.

5) Wardenclyffe Lives!: Tesla’s last formal laboratory was on Long Island in what is now Shoreham. Called Wardenclyffe, Tesla had spent many frustrating years building a huge tower that would serve as the base of operations for his World Wireless System. Essentially a radio station to broadcast wirelessly across the world, Tesla also saw Wardenclyffe as the center of his wireless electrical power system. The Earth would serve as a conductor and everyone would be able to simply tap into the energy wherever they were. For free. The idea never came to fruition due to both technical and financial problems. While the tower was torn down to pay debts early in the 20th century, the laboratory property remains. Astonishingly, the property came up for sale and, through the most amazing crowdfunding feat in modern history, the lab is being purchased by the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, a non-profit group led by Jane Alcorn that plans to restore it as a working science center and tribute to Nikola Tesla.

So in the not to distant future visitors will be able to take themselves back in time to watch Nikola Tesla shoot bolts of lightning through his body and electrify the Earth. Perhaps Tesla’s dream of bringing free energy to all will finally come to fruition.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His next book is on Abraham Lincoln, due out in July 2017.

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Vietnam for Americans – Part 1: Hanoi on the Halfshell

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VietnamI admit that I grew up a rather sheltered child in a small New England town. After many years where world travel was defined as an occasional weekend jaunt a stone’s throw into Canada, I suddenly found myself flying halfway around the world to Vietnam. And not just any place in Vietnam – Hanoi, the former capital of the Communist North that became the new capital of the reunified Socialist Republic of Vietnam. To provide even more perspective, this was in late 2000, before the United States opened up trade relations and long before Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization to become part of the modern world. It was still the period where memories of the “American War” were still toggling around in the minds of every surviving 50 year old male. Yes, I went to Hanoi before going to Hanoi became cool.

It was in these novel surroundings that my first taste of world travel gave me some of the fondest memories that remain with me today.

Bigger than I expected, Hanoi itself was incredibly busy. Thousands of people on motor scooters and bicycles crowded every street. Many of them wore scarfs over their mouths and noses because the air was so polluted. As I rode around town on my Xe om (a kind of motor bike taxi), it was interesting to contrast the many tiny streets teeming with people doing business on the sidewalks with the ornate mustard-yellow official buildings left over from the many years of French occupation. The mausoleum of Vietnam’s revered former leader Ho Chi Minh (called “Uncle Ho” by the locals), had a prominent place in a large square. Usually visitors can see his preserved body there, but at the time of my trip he was in the middle of an official face-lift, so to speak, so a visit to the adjacent museum had to suffice. Within its halls I wandered into a back room where local musicians played traditional Vietnamese instruments and sang haunting melodies. After the show one attractive musician handed me, the lone westerner in the small room, a ravishing red rose and a seductive smile.

Ho Chi Minh museum, Hanoi, Vietnam, 2000

One interesting feature of Hanoi was that shops were clumped by item. By this I don’t mean just that each store sold only one type of item; I mean all the stores on entire streets sold only one type of item. In the US the norm is to find strip malls with one drug store, one shoe store, one clothing store – one of each type of item you might want to buy on a single trip. In Hanoi, one street was dedicated to selling shoes and every alcove on that street sold shoes and nothing but shoes. Other streets were designated to sell coats or silk or “gifts for the tourists.” If you didn’t like one store, you merely walked next door. To this day I still don’t completely understand the concept but I can say that I feel the warmth of the pullover jacket I purchased there.

On another street I ordered three silk shirts. The proprietor of the shop let me pick the colors from a room stacked high with bolts of the finest silk, then measured me every which way you can possibly measure a man’s upper torso. This was late one afternoon. After lunch the very next day I returned to find three perfectly handmade silk shirts that fit like they were made for me. Which of course they were. Overnight. I don’t recall how many Vietnamese dong the shirts cost me, but I do remember that it was equivalent to about $20 each.

I learned a lot while in Hanoi, but what really amazed me was the warm welcome I received from the people. Well, at least the ones that weren’t trying to charge “the rich American” three times the price paid by the locals. In my next post I’ll have more on the people – and the food – of Hanoi and an incredible tea party I had in a village outside the city. You won’t want to miss it. See Part 2 here.

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David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, scheduled for release July 31, 2017. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricityand Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time andAbraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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We Are Lincoln Men: Abraham Lincoln and His Friends by David Herbert Donald (A Book Review)

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Abraham LincolnSteven Spielberg’s Lincoln is based in part on the marvelous book Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, which explores Abraham Lincoln’s relationships with his political rivals. But another author explores the relationships Lincoln had with male friends, some of whom were his rivals and some of whom were intimate companions. David Herbert Donald, is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and author of the book Lincoln, for which he won the Lincoln Prize and had a long run on the New York Times bestseller list.  With We Are Lincoln Men Donald takes us through the rather short list of people that Abraham Lincoln could have considered to be friends.  Somewhat surprisingly given his amicability and story telling powers, Lincoln did not have many close friendships in his life.  Donald brings us into the ones he had.

He begins with a review of Lincoln’s upbringing, one which really didn’t see him build any real long lasting friendships.   Donald then spends some time parsing the one man with whom Lincoln probably had his most intense friendship, Joshua F. Speed.  Some have suggested that the Lincoln/Speed friendship was more than just friends, but Donald dispels this notion and puts us within the context of the times.  Lincoln’s long law partnership with William H. Herndon – whom he called Billy – is well documented by Donald, as was Lincoln’s friendship with Illinois Senator Orville Browning.  Browning became Lincoln’s confidant, and eventually his strongest supporter in Congress.  Even here, however, the friendship could not withstand differences in the two men’s views of Emancipation and eventually they drifted apart to the point where Lincoln thrice passed over Browning for Supreme Court Justice.

The best chapter is probably the one on Lincoln’s friendship with William H. Seward.  Initially competitors – Seward was expected to get the nomination for President that Lincoln ended up winning – the two men developed into a formidable team whose mutual respect led to an intense friendship on which each depended on the other.  Seward himself is a interesting case study, and I look forward to receiving my signed copy of Walter Stahr‘s new biography of him soon.  The final chapter examines Lincoln’s relationship with his two young private secretaries, John Nicolay and John Hay.  These two began with simple devotion to the president, and grew into his most ardent supporters and to some extent confidants, before becoming in the end his official biographers.

Donald does great justice to the complex interactions Lincoln had with these men.  Lincoln was not a particularly open man, and friendships came to him with difficulty. In some cases his reserve and his policies led to discord, but in all cases there was respect.  And perhaps respectfulness is a better word than friendship to describe how Lincoln interacted with those he called “friends.”  This book is an easy and a welcome read.

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Ed Begley Jr. – From St. Elsewhere to Sustainable SETAC

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Ed Begley Jr.Many people will remember Ed Begley Jr. as Dr. Victor Ehrlich in the 1980s medical drama, St. Elsewhere. Begley was part of an all-star cast that including Howie Mandel, William Daniels, Denzel Washington, Mark Harmon, and many others. Fewer people know that Ed Begley Jr. has been a lifelong environmentalist and has pioneered the use of solar and wind power for home use. Last night Begley was the keynote speaker at the annual Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry meeting being held this week in Long Beach, California. He fit in nicely with the SETAC theme this year – innovation and sustainability.

Ed Begley Jr at SETAC 2012

One thing that struck me was that Begley is not some wild-eyed environmentalist screaming for the destruction of the oil companies. His main message was that no one has to bankrupt themselves to be environmental. He says to do what you can afford. In his own life he couldn’t afford solar panels early on so he focused on conservation of energy, avoiding waste, starting to compost. Over the years as he could manage it fiscally – which he could in part because he was saving so much money through wise conservation – he added on a solar water heater (and is now spokesperson for the Cirrex brand), then solar electricity, then invested in a wind turbine. His reminder to all is to be fiscally responsible but understand that not making changes has a cost too. With the use of renewable energy, walking and biking when he can, and driving an electric car for longer distances where mass transit in not available, he discovered a basic truth:

It’s good for the environment and also good for your wallet.

After a wonderfully delivered and very appreciated keynote speech Begley took questions from the packed ballroom. The audience consisted of many industry representatives (including from oil and chemical companies), academics, and other environmental researchers. When asked what role environmental scientists may have played in the shift toward sustainability back in the 1970s and beyond, Begley was adamant:

Environmental scientists are critical for doing the science and communicating it to public.

Without the science there is no way to inspire public opinion and get action. It became clear that Begley is one of those people who doesn’t just preach his views, he lives them. And yet he understands that the transition is a process. We have taken care of the most acute problems like deadly smogs in Los Angeles and burning rivers in Ohio. We did that through identifying the problems and taking action. He acknowledges that we cannot stop oil production tomorrow because we depend on it so much, but that to deal with the realities of man-made climate change we can take steps, work together, and innovate to build a more sustainable energy economy.

We can do what we can do now as long as we keep moving forward.

And moving forward is the key to sustainability. This week at SETAC we will take these thoughts into consideration – innovation and sustainability.

It turns out Ed Begley Jr. was a perfect opening night speaker. Thank you.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His next book is on Abraham Lincoln, due out in 2017.

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Two Men + Two Tesla Coils + Special Suits = ELECTRICITY FIGHT (aka, Nikola Tesla is Very Cool)

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Okay, by now we all know that Nikola Tesla is very very cool. So how about a really cool electricity duel? You got it.

These guys were part of a demonstration at a festival in Belfast (Ireland, not Ohio). So how do they keep from getting electrocuted? First, the electricity comes from Tesla Coils. These are high-voltage, low-current, high frequency alternating current” in a system perfected by Nikola Tesla in the late 1800s. The weird suits they are wearing form  “Faraday cages,” named after Michael Faraday, the scientist who first came up with the idea of electromagnetic fields. He showed that an electric charge would stay on the outside of a charged conductor, so the electricity basically circulates around the “cage” the men are wearing. Which is good, because otherwise the high voltages used would quickly make the performers, well, dead, and that would have made the performance quite a bit shorter.

As it stands, the crowd was electrified. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Nikola TeslaMore on Tesla coils.

More on Nikola Tesla: The Wizard of Lightning.

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Science Traveler Shows Increasing Trend in Viewership

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David J. KentScience Traveler is only months old but the recent trend in viewership has been very encouraging. The original website was started in February 2012 and the views during the first few months reflected the efforts of friends and family to make me feel wanted. In August 2012 I changed the name of the blog to Science Traveler to better reflect my emphasis on both science and traveling. [And some ideas for the future that I’ll keep under my proverbial top hat for now.]

The last few months have shown tremendous progress in gaining an audience, or as they say in the publishing biz, a platform. We’re not talking J.K. Rowling or or E.L. James type numbers here for sure, but given that I started from scratch I’m comfortable with where I am right now. As you can see, my monthly views are going in the right direction.

And since the total number of views is influenced by the number of days in the month, the following shows the average daily views for each month. Very encouraging for such a short period of time.

The key to keeping this trend is to continue to gain more readers and understand why the ones I have came here in the first place. It should come as no surprise that my forthcoming Nikola Tesla book has been a draw and I am continuing to become more and more fascinated by the man and the people who work hard to bring his genius to the public. I anticipate that my book will help raise Tesla’s Q-score.

And then there is Abraham Lincoln. I’m working on the book proposal now.

And the travel. I’m traveling out to California to attend the SETAC meeting (and will be bringing Tesla with me), then cruising the Caribbean in December. My Science Traveler site will be getting more travel science as it develops.

And aquariums.

See a trend?

The plan is to redesign the site to provide a better experience for visitors, including a new landing page, links to information about my books and other writing, and make it easier to follow the topic people find most interesting. I’ll even be offering some freebies! So stay tuned.

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